The government will form a joint committee, consisting of representatives from Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD)

, Civil Defense and private sector, to address problems in sewage plants and take precautionary measures to prevent the recurrence of the problem at the sewage plant in Mishref, Minister of Public Works and State Minister for Municipality Affairs Dr Fadhel Safar announced in a press conference Saturday.
Confident that the Mishref plant will resume its normal operations within a month, Safar disclosed the ministry will coordinate with other authorities to prevent flooding in the areas that plant serves in Hawally. He said the laborers at the ministry have exerted tremendous efforts to convert drainages into manholes by distributing more than 100 pumps after the necessary biological and chemical procedures. He also unveiled his plan to forward recommendations to address the problem to the Environment Affairs Committee at the Parliament.

Safar confirmed the ministry is putting the final touches for the implementation of a new mechanism, in cooperation with Kuwait Diving Team and KFSD, to stop the leakage at the plant, which had been emptied to identify the flaws.
Meanwhile, Public Works Undersecretary Eng Abdulaziz Al-Kulaib revealed the ministry has leased tankers to transport the drainage water to other stations, admitting the ministry lacks the required skills to handle such an emergency, which happened for the first time in Kuwait. He added the ministry officials have yet to find the actual reason behind the breakdown.
On the other hand, Environment Public Authority (EPA) Director Dr Salah Al-Modhi said it is quite difficult to pump drainage water into the sea properly, without causing any problems. He disclosed EPA has specified locations where it is dangerous to catch fish - starting from Fishermen Village in Salmiya to Fintas and Fahaheel - as a precautionary step.
Moreover, acting General Director of EPA Captain Ali Haidar stated the authority has taken water samples from various beaches to look into the level of pollution and identify ways to minimize the contamination. He also advised the public to conserve water, especially those who are residing in Hawally.

Arabtimes